Worldview

The Parents Circle hopes that Israelis and Palestinians can find common ground as families who have lost a loved one.

Nov. 03, 2011

The Funatical comedy tour brings together Muslim, Jewish and Christian standup comedians to poke fun at religious stereotypes. It’s coming to Chicago’s American Islamic College on Saturday. We speak with Samson Koletkar, a member of the tour who claims to be “the world’s only Jewish Indian standup comedian.” Also, Jewish Israeli Robi Damelin and Palestinian Seham Abu-Awwad have both lost close family members to the conflict. Together, Robi and Seham tell us about their involvement in a group dedicated to sharing the common humanity between warring factions in Israel and Palestine. They also talk to us about Cartooning in Conflict, a new exhibit of editorial cartoons that explores the absurdities of the Israeli-Palistinian conflict and the potential for peace. It opens in Chicago this weekend.

On paper, Robi Damelin and Seham Abu-Awwad are women from opposing worlds. Robi, a Jewish Israeli, lost her son to a Palestinian sniper. Seham, a Palestinian, lost a brother when he was killed by an Israeli Defense Forces soldier and has a son who's now in prison.